Hiza guruma (膝車) is the judo knee wheel: you break your partner's balance forward and turn them around your foot blocked against their knee. It is one of the 40 throws of the Gokyo no Waza.
- Japanese name: hiza guruma, 膝車. English: Knee Wheel.
- Kodokan classification: ashi-waza, a foot technique.
- Gokyo no Waza: Dai Ikkyo, the first group.
What does hiza guruma mean?
Hiza Guruma (膝車) is classified by the Kodokan as ashi-waza, a foot technique. The judoinfo.com ashi-waza list gives its English name as Knee Wheel. On the judoinfo.com list of Japanese judo terms, hiza means knee. The Gokyo no Waza listed on judoinfo.com places it in Dai Ikkyo, the first group, so it is one of the 40 judo throws of the traditional syllabus.
How do you do hiza guruma?
The Kodokan defines hiza guruma as a technique to throw down the opponent by breaking his balance forward and hold his right knee with the left foot to rotate him around it. The steps follow that definition, right-handed as the Kodokan writes it; mirror them for the left.
- Break the balance forward with both hands so their weight comes onto the front of their feet.
- Place the sole of your left foot on their right knee, holding it there as a block.
- Turn them around the blocked knee with your hands, wheeling their upper body over it until they fall.
Learn it with a coach and a partner who can breakfall, on a proper mat, and build speed only once the steps are clean.
Video: KODOKAN official channel
What is the difference between hiza guruma and sasae tsurikomi ashi?
The two look alike and Google pairs them often. The Kodokan places the blocking foot in different places: on the knee in hiza guruma, and on the ankle in sasae tsurikomi ashi, where the throw comes from lifting your partner up forward over the block.
Is hiza guruma legal in judo competition?
Yes. The IJF Sport and Organisation Rules score a throw only when it is a Kodokan classified technique or a recognised variation, and hiza guruma is on the Kodokan list, so a clean hiza guruma can score yuko, waza-ari or ippon.
In BJJ a throw counts as a takedown: 2 points under the IBJJF rules once your partner lands on the back, side or seat and you hold the top for three seconds.
See where it sits among the 40 judo throws. Rash guards and kit for the mat are in our judo training gear.
Sources
- Kodokan defines hiza guruma, Kodokan Judo Institute
- Judoinfo.com list of Japanese judo terms, JudoInfo
- Judoinfo.com ashi-waza list, JudoInfo
- Gokyo no Waza listed on judoinfo.com, JudoInfo
- IJF Sport and Organisation Rules, International Judo Federation
- IBJJF rules, IBJJF
Related terms
Sasae tsurikomi ashi, Foot and leg techniques, Gokyo, Throwing techniques.